WASHINGTON, D.C. – James “Jim” Comey, the former FBI director whose fall from grace represented a flash point of Trump-Russia saga, didn’t only participate in a witch hunt that went nowhere. He also violated DOJ and FBI policies
That’s according to a new report from the U.S. Justice Department’s inspector general released Thursday.
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The report alleges that Comey specifically deviated from established FBI policies concerning the proper handling of memoranda; he did so by handing one memo off to a friend and, allegedly, directing the friend to leak the memo’s contents to a journalist. The memos at issue concern private conversations involving President Trump in the lead-up to Comey’s May 2017 dismissal as head of the FBI.
Making matters worse, Comey also breached proper protocol by failing to inform the FBI that he had retained some of the memos after leaving the Hoover Building.
“Comey had several other lawful options available to him to advocate for the appointment of a Special Counsel, which he told us was his goal in making the disclosure,” the inspector general’s report explains. “What was not permitted was the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive investigative information, obtained during the course of FBI employment, in order to achieve a personally desired outcome.”
Click here to read the full report.
The DOJ previously declined to prosecute Comey over his handling of the memos, but today’s report further tarnishes Comey’s already compromised reputation as one of the nation’s former top law enforcement officials.
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